Lately, Internet forums dedicated to celebrity offspring have been buzzing with banter regarding the paparazzi’s needless intrusion into mother and daughter’s lives. The topic of pushy paps versus celebrity kids is not new, but for some reason ever since a picture showing Matilda munching on a bagel and Williams shielding her from what one can only assume is a photographer who got too close for comfort surfaced, several forums and online message boards have been bombarded with comments on how cruelly Matilda and her mom have been treated by overzealous photographers.

I’ve seen the picture and Williams does look annoyed and her hand is clearly placed in a way that indicates that she doesn’t want her photo snapped, but to me this would be a natural reaction from any parent (never mind one that gets paid for appearing on the big screen) who doesn’t want a private moment to be captured for the world to see (though, in the pap’s defense Matilda and Williams’ were strolling on a very public New York City sidewalk). Still, some of the Internet comments that were directed in the way of the photographs were so venomous that they even shocked me.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin.
Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.